Category: Minimalist Decluttering Challenge

I realize in the hustle and bustle of life this past spring / summer, I never finished updating you on our 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge that we had started long ago. With all the busy-ness around, it must have completely slipped my mind! Regardless, I think it’s fair that you all get to hear how it went (because I promise, we definitely didn’t quit!). While these blogging habits may have not gone over so well throughout the summer, our minimalist habits certainly did!

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge

This challenge is a great chance for us all to declutter our minds and our bodies. Erin did a great job of introducing why this challenge is so very important when she wrote her guest blog titled Declutter Your Life, Reach Your Debt Free Goal (Click HERE to read this post). Erin shared how minimizing your lifestyle can help you to save money and get out of debt quicker (isn’t that what we are all about anyway?).

Minimizing means simplifying your life to enjoy a higher quality of living. As a result of living a minimalist lifestyle, people feel more attuned to their emotions, they are more present in their everyday lives, they are happier, and their wallets are more full. As someone who has lived with clutter for most of her life, I’m ready to simplify. I’m pumped to see the results of this challenge! Are you?

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge Update: Finished

Now, on April 1st I probably would have guessed that we would get through the challenge and be happy, but that would be about it. In fact, I think I guessed that we would get rid of about 500-600 things. I know that I had a goal of 600 to beat another friend of mine who had done the challenge and that was about all I had.

Honestly, when we started the challenge, I had no idea how much it would change my life. I also had no idea how many things I had in my house. If you would have said I would have gotten rid of as many things as I did, I would have laughed and responded with something similar to “there’s no way I have that many things in my house!” Boy, was I wrong.

Favorite / Least Favorite

My favorite part of the minimalist decluttering challenge was the stability – I love having a schedule to work with and that definitely kept me motivated to keep going with this challenge. We got rid of so many items because we felt like we had to and we are definitely a competitive pair.

My least favorite part? Well… That’s a little more hard because I loved many parts of this challenge – I loved making my space feel more open, finding room to breathe, getting rid of items we didn’t need, learning about myself, figuring out how much we actually had versus how much we actually need, and the list could go on, but there is one part that I really didn’t enjoy…. That was dealing with things that have a sentimental value. That was rough.

Pictures, toys, knick-knacks, etc. all that had been given by certain people with a specific purpose. It was hard to say goodbye to some of these for the minimalist challenge – even ones that were broken. Now, I don’t mean that I got rid of all of them (I wouldn’t even say that I got rid of a good chunk of them), they mean a lot to me and it’s hard, but I had to choose which ones had the most meaning.

When I was 12 and my father was in the hospital I remember wearing these horribly uncomfortable shoes. I had had them for a long time – forever, and so they were really worn out and weren’t any good any more. I remember my mom asking why I had brought them, but I misheard her and thought she asked where I got them. So I said that dad gave them to me. She responded “not everything he gives you is so important that it needs to be kept forever.”

Coming from someone who is a little bit tighter when it comes to keeping things (she keeps a lot), this statement has stuck with me. There are certainly keepsake items that I will keep for a long, long, long time, but when they stop bringing you joy, that’s when it’s time to say goodbye and keep the memories. I’ve come up with a few ways to help with that, but I’ll share those on another day!

Number of Items Removed

So, how many things did I get rid of?

While I don’t have the full list here with me, I do have the number – it was over 1,900 items! You read that right – 1,900 items that we didn’t need.

The worst part is, this isn’t the first time we’ve decluttered. In January / February we did a big purge of many items for spring cleaning – we took at least two car-fulls to Goodwill and probably more, plus we brought out 10-15 bags of garbage – just for our spring cleaning!

Before that, just a month or two, we had to do a purge to get rid of things that were infected by the mice (yuck) and got rid of a ton of our belongings.

With all that, I assumed that we didn’t have enough left to get rid of many things, but as you read above, we definitely did – our minimalist challenge in April got rid of over 1,900 items – wow.

Of course, we have a long way to go, but this challenge definitely put us on the right track!

One Thing I Learned

The fewer things I have, the more I have – more life, more happiness, more joy, more excitement, more space, more breathing, more time, more money…. MORE. I think that’s the most important lesson that I could learn from this challenge and something that I have needed to take to heart. It’s all about living in the now – living life to the fullest, which as you all know is my motto, but the more things you have to take care of, the less time you have to do that.

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge Update: Finished

The minimalist decluttering challenge was certainly one for the books and hopefully one that I will revisit again in the future (perhaps this January?). The best part though, is we have done even more minimizing since the challenge ended – getting rid of even MORE things (though we aren’t exactly counting anymore) and our house is getting less and less cluttered. We have minimized our work spaces, our home, and more! Of course, sharing about those is for another day.

Until then, let’s keep minimizing!!!

Have you ever done a Minimalist Decluttering Challenge? If so, what was your favorite / least favorite parts? What did you learn? How many items did you get rid of?

Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. While I do earn money and bonuses for referring people, all of my opinions on the company are 100% honest and my own. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.

Love the blog? Help us out by sharing it with your friends and family!

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge
Update: Days 7-14

The time has come once again for me to give you our update: days 7-14. Unfortunately, my update is a little late this time. While I was planning on having our update posted on Friday (as is our goal for this challenge), we were sadly dealing with the death of our family dog. As any of you fellow dog-owners may know, the death of a dog is never fun.

The dog was mine since I was about 11 years old. I got her as a little puppy and she has grown old in our home. She passed away in her sleep last week and we are glad that she is not in pain, but miss her deeply. It halted our challenge for a few days, but we are back and caught up now to give you our newest update: days 7-14!

For those who are new to this challenge, read this first!

For everyone else, feel free to skip ahead!

If your family is anything like mine, you’ve felt the frustrations of a cluttered home. My wife and I moved into our small house about two years ago from college dorms and apartments. We settled in, we decorated, we stored, we received gifts, we stored, we went shopping, we stored, etc. etc. etc. Now, after two years of living in our cluttered and chaotic home, we are realizing the importance of simplicity in life. We are striving toward debt-free living, but a healthy life is more than finances alone. That’s why we have decided to complete our first ever 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge – and we want you to join us!

The 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge was created by Erin on A Welder’s Wife and she has graciously allowed me to share the challenge with you all. I would love to have you all join for as much or as little of the challenge as you are willing! Don’t worry, you can start whenever you feel ready!

30DMDC Update: Days 7-14

Day 7: Accessories

Day seven was a little bit of a struggle for us. While we were able to get rid of MANY scarves, the jewelry aspect was a little harder. We realized how easy it is to become emotionally attached to an item and how frustrating it is when that item is one you never wear anymore. We realize that unless we are specifically going through our jewelry box, we never even see these pieces of jewelry, but we really struggled to get rid of some of those.

However, despite our struggles, we did manage to get rid of a fair amount of jewelry. I have a number, but it’s not on my computer. It’s a lot though!

To hear more stories about these pieces (and see pictures / stories about other things we are getting rid of), visit our instagram page at: instagram.com/diyjahn

Day 8: Shoes

This day was easier because we aren’t as emotionally attached to our shoes (except our wedding shoes, but we wear those regularly)! We kept two pairs of fancy boots each (one brown, one black), rain boots, snow boots, tennis shoes, chacos, and two pairs of nicer shoes (wedding shoes are toms and my slip ons, plus my wife has a pair of black flats she wears regularly). My wife also has a few other pairs of work shoes that she wears.

Wow.

That sounds like a lot of shoes that we kept, but it really was the bare minimum. Working and living at a summer camp, we can’t exactly get rid of the need for rain boots, snow boots, chacos, and tennis shoes. I suppose we could get away with less nice shoes, but we really only have options for black and brown so that we each have shoes for any outfit.

Plus we got rid of some. So yay!

Day 9: Pamper Yourself

Honestly, this is one of the best days yet. We never get to pamper ourselves. Okay, let me rephrase that. We never allow ourselves time to pamper ourselves. We are always going, going, going and never remember to simply relax and be.

So, we took time to sleep in (YAY), to wash each others hair and give head massages (double YAY), and to go out to eat at Texas Roadhouse. It was blissful.

Day 10: 10 Items

Day 10 – we got rid of so many more than 10 items. It’s really unrealistic to tell us 10 because we have SO much stuff. So, on this day, can you guess what our number was?

Seriously, what do you think it was?

Because it was insane for one day.

Honestly.

We got rid of…

Drum roll please…

235 things! Plus, we officially finished the bedroom! It’s done. There’s nothing more that we can get rid of in there at the present moment.

So, I feel like that’s winning.

Day 11: Social Media

This one was difficult for me and I feel like I’m still not where I want to be. I have to go through my friends again and get rid of them. Another one I need to go through is groups on Facebook, I really struggle with having a million of them that I never go to or participate in. I want to slim it down to only a few that I actually use often. That’s my goal!

Day 12: Use it Up!

We used up a few cleaning products and a bag of chocolate chips! Yay!

Day 13: Pantry

This was fun… Our “pantry” for the past few months has been one cupboard space, two boxes above our kitchen cupboards, and one tote box in the dining room. Honestly, why are we eating and living out of boxes?!

We went through our cupboards and made room to have ALL of our food in the cupboards. No more boxes! I’m so happy!!

Day 14: Pots & Pans

Pots and pans are one of the things that we have had way too much of, and we know it, but we don’t really go through them often. It was nice to have a day dedicated to getting rid of them.

When my wife and I got together, we combined our giant sets of pots and pans into an even bigger set of pots and pans. It was really unnecessary, but we each liked our individual sets. As our preferences grew and changed, we realized we were only utilizing about 3-5 of the pots and 2 of the pans. We got rid of a ton of them and are super excited with the storage of the last few!

Update: Days 7-14 – Week in Review

Favorite / Least Favorite

My favorite day of the second week of the challenge was definitely the pamper yourself (day 9). It was glorious to take some time to simply be, to relax, to not worry about work or cleaning, and to be together. We definitely don’t get time like that often, but with summer approaching quickly, I’m glad we got time for that this week.

My least favorite day was definitely the social media (day 11). I feel like I didn’t make any progress and it’s still something that I would like to work on. Ah well, to another day!

Number of Items Removed

Well, this week we took a boatload of items totaling over 1,000 to Goodwill and are currently adding even more to the list. This week we added over 500 more items and have another car-full for Goodwill. We’ll be counting and giving exact numbers soon – they’re being kept track of though, don’t worry!

One Thing I Learned

Well, last week I realized the importance of not keeping things for “just in case.” This week, I’ve been focusing on how easy my life seems to be getting the less stuff I have. Let me explain what I mean and how I got here:

On Friday, my parents were coming for a visit. Because we are in the middle of this crazy challenge, our house was a mess – the living room was filled to the brim with boxes that needed sorting, piles of items to give to Goodwill, more items that needed to be put back into their places, bags of trash, and furniture that we were unsure about. Basically, it was a disaster.

However, the rest of the house (the rooms that were already completed) took less than a half hour to clean. We wiped off counters, surfaces, tables, etc. that were already clear because we don’t have enough stuff to put on them. We pushed chairs in. We swept. We vacuumed. We did the dishes. We took out the trash. And we wiped up the bathroom.

It’s crazy how easy life can become when you have less items. I can’t wait for my whole house to feel as simple as the rest of my house already does! Or for that matter, I can’t wait for my life to feel the way that half of my house does!

Update: Days 7-14

So, that’s it for the Update: Days 7-14. Coming up next week we have a ton of great things to do to get our house clean and rid ourselves of the clutter! Right now, we are looking forward to the days of cleaning products, linens, and, of course, going for a walk. See you soon!

I hope that you’ll join us for the challenge or take it on your own, but regardless of how you do it be sure to share your results with us here, sign up for the e-newsletter at the top of this email, and join our awesome Facebook groups: Frugal Living Community and/or LGBT Frugal Living Community.

What does your Update: Days 7-14 look like? What was your favorite / least favorite day of this week? How many items have you gotten rid of so far?

Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. While I do earn money and bonuses for referring people, all of my opinions on the company are 100% honest and my own. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.

Love the blog? Help us out by sharing it with your friends and family!

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge Update: Days 1-6

It’s time for our first 30DMDC Update: Days 1-6. This past week has been insane. Not only has the weather shifted from beautiful, warm spring days to shivering, cold, rainy, hail-filled days, but our house has shifted from managed clutter to uncontrolled chaos.

Why?

Because we are working our way through the 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge. What is the old saying…? Something like… “it has to get worse before it can get better.” That has never been more true for us. In completing the daily tasks, our living room has become a war zone for our things.

We have a giant pile that we are donating, tossing, or otherwise getting rid of, a pile for things that we need to keep, but that need a new home, and a stack of boxes with things we are keeping, but that we are unable to put away since the storage area is in the process of being overhauled.

In any case, we are super excited to have this challenge to get this clutter out of our house once and for all. And we know that it is bound to get better as this month goes on. So, without further ado, let’s see what we did for each of the challenge days in our Update: Days 1-6!

For those who are new to this challenge, read this first!

For everyone else, feel free to skip ahead!

If your family is anything like mine, you’ve felt the frustrations of a cluttered home. My wife and I moved into our small house about two years ago from college dorms and apartments. We settled in, we decorated, we stored, we received gifts, we stored, we went shopping, we stored, etc. etc. etc. Now, after two years of living in our cluttered and chaotic home, we are realizing the importance of simplicity in life. We are striving toward debt-free living, but a healthy life is more than finances alone. That’s why we have decided to complete our first ever 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge – and we want you to join us!

The 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge was created by Erin on A Welder’s Wife and she has graciously allowed me to share the challenge with you all. I would love to have you all join for as much or as little of the challenge as you are willing! Don’t worry, you can start whenever you feel ready!

30DMDC Update: Days 1-6

Day 1: 5 Items

Day 1 was exciting for my wife and I. We were so ready to get a move on for our 30DMDC that we threw away way more than the recommended / required 5 items.

First of all, I need to admit something to you all. When we started this challenge we still had all of our Christmas decorations up. Yes, you read that right. In April, we still had our decorations up. Yikes.

So, we decided to start the challenge by taking down Christmas and going through ALL of our decorations in the process (for every holiday) and deciding what we needed to keep and what we didn’t. We ended up getting rid of a TON of items and are super excited about it.

Then we moved on to the actual challenge topic of 5 items. We picked 5 items that we knew needed a new home:

2 Umbrellas – we had four umbrellas in our house and there are only two of us. Needless to say, it was time to get rid of two of these.

A Whiteboard – this one was hard for me to get rid of because my parents left me notes on it for a long time. They were all still there and hadn’t been erased, but because it was so full, we couldn’t use it. Instead, we were simply storing it because we didn’t want to get rid of the notes. So, we decided to compromise by taking a few pictures of the notes and then letting it go. Camp will use it and enjoy it, we’re sure!

A Lunchbag – it was time to get rid of this lunchbag. It was taking up space and we never used it..

A Movie Stand – this used to be used to hold our CDs near our stereo system, but we rarely use the stereo and we rarely listen to CDs anymore – it’s all MP3 or record (funny how the world works, isn’t it?). Time for this guy to stop taking up space!

Day 2: Countertops

Our counters were insane. We have two kitchen counters (one is wrap-around bar into the dining room) and a living room counter (our old cabinets were repurposed into a new entertainment center. They were both FILLED with stuff and we couldn’t believe how big of a difference cleaning them off made.

Now, in each of our updates I’ll be sharing pictures of our progress. So, here are some pictures for our Update: Days 1-6. I don’t have a before picture of our kitchen counter, but here is the one of our living room counter.

Here’s the after of the living room counter:

Here’s the after of our kitchen counter:

Day 3: Meditate for 15 Minutes

I’ll be honest with you guys, I’m not so good at the meditating thing. My wife and I tried multiple times throughout the day and just couldn’t get it down. I feel like we failed miserably at this day of the challenge, but we definitely tried. On the other hand, we did watch part of the sunrise of the lake…so…

Day 4: Junk Drawer

Today was a hard one for us. Why? Because we don’t necessarily have a junk drawer, per say, but we DO have a TON of places where we keep a lot of junk. We decided to focus on two of these places and tackle those – it took longer than expected. The first was the cabinet under the living room counter. We kept all hosts of electronics, tangles of cords, tools, duct tape, amps, movies, etc. down there. So, we took some time to sort through it all and threw away a TON. Here’s a before photo of just one section of the area (it has three sections, the center one is as larger as the other two combined).

As you can see, it’s very much a junk area, filled to the brim with stuff we definitely don’t always need. So, we got rid of a ton and cleaned it out. Here are some after pictures:

The center cabinet:

The far cabinet:

After that, we took to tackling a china hutch that we had sitting in the living room. It was filled with diabetic supplies, pet stuff, mailing stationary and stamps, batteries, you name it. I guess this could have been our “junk cabinet” if you didn’t know that the one under the living room counter existed – haha!

We decided that instead of simply going through the cabinet, getting rid of what we don’t need, and reorganizing it, we would find a way to empty it out completely and use the space under the living room counter for this stuff as well. Now that the china hutch is empty, we can put it in storage until we have a good home for it. It’s hard to fit in our tiny house, but once we buy a larger home, we know that we will want it.

Here’s what our junk pile (stuff we are donating or tossing) looked like after this day’s task! Pretty crazy for only halfway through our update: days 1-6, right?

Day 5: Clothing

Wow! Who would have thought this day would be so difficult? My wife and I went through our clothing not long ago, so we thought that this day would be easy. Boy, were we mistaken. We had so many things to get rid of / donate by the end… And, since our dresser was falling apart, we decided to get rid of it completely. You’ll notice it missing in the before and after pictures.

We got rid of enough items that we can now fit all of our clothing into only two closets – leaving our bedroom free with tons of space – hooray! We repurposed an old garbage picking find for a t-shirt cabinet and added some boxes that were empty for socks and unmentionables. It feels so much more spacious and clean now!

Dresser before:

Dresser after:

Bedroom Closet 1 Before:

Bedroom Closet 1 After:

Bedroom Closet 2 Before:

Bedroom Closet 2 After:

Hallway Closet Before:

Hallway Closet After:

Day 6: Digital Cleanse

Well, this day came as a surprise to me. I didn’t think that it would be possible – especially since my wife was out of town for the day and I knew I would want to be talking to her. However, since I was at work for 15 hours straight yesterday, there wasn’t much time for anything digital. So, it wasn’t too bad. I will admit though: I used my phone a little bit. I texted my wife a few times and I also used it for GPS to get us to a few locations.

Update: Days 1-6 – Week in Review

Favorite / Least Favorite

I think my favorite day during this first week was the countertops (day 2). This one really made me think about what we actually need out as opposed to what we simply set on the counter because we don’t want to find something else to do with that item.

My least favorite day was probably the meditation day. It’s not that I have anything against being alone with my thoughts, but I really struggle with the process of not thinking of anything – of simply breathing. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me, but it really is. I guess that’s definitely something that I’ll be working on in the future.

Number of Items Removed

Honestly, with the giant pile of stuff that we have removed from our lives, I haven’t had a chance to count any of it. My goal is to have it counted by next week’s update. Until then, you can look at this picture of the mountain that is sitting in our living room and guestimate what that number may be:

One Thing I Learned

I’ve learned so much already in this short week of the challenge, so it’s hard to choose only one thing. I would have to say that the most important thing I learned this week is that you don’t need to keep things for “just in case.”

This is such a hard lesson for me because I was raised to believe that it’s better to have things than to need them later – not that that’s a bad lesson, it’s just very, very different than what this challenge is teaching me.

When I look at things, it’s hard for me to accept that even though there’s a possibility I may need it in the future, it’s not necessarily worth storing for the time being because it only adds to the clutter. Now, there are cases where that is different – things that you inherent from your parents or things that you want to pass down to your children, those are worth keeping.

That being said, we had two griddles – a large one and a small one. The large one would be awesome for making grilled cheese, pancakes, etc. for a large number of people. We were saving this “just in case” we needed it when we have kids. We aren’t even in the process of trying for kids yet so this item was being kept for an unknown time in the future that is at LEAST years away. How crazy is that?

Hard lesson, but good lesson.

Update: Days 1-6

So, that’s it for the Update: Days 1-6. Coming up next week we have a ton of great things to do to get our house clean and rid ourselves of the clutter! I think right now, I’m most looking forward to the pantry day. My wife and I don’t do a lot in regard to shoes and accessories so those days will be good, but won’t produce the giant results that we are so excited about!

I hope that you’ll join us for the challenge or take it on your own, but regardless of how you do it be sure to share your results with us here, sign up for the e-newsletter at the top of this email, and join our awesome Facebook groups: Frugal Living Community and/or LGBT Frugal Living Community.

What does your Update: Days 1-6 look like? What was your favorite / least favorite day of this week? How many items have you gotten rid of so far?

Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. While I do earn money and bonuses for referring people, all of my opinions on the company are 100% honest and my own. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.

Love the blog? Help us out by sharing it with your friends and family!

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge

If your family is anything like mine, you’ve felt the frustrations of a cluttered home. My wife and I moved into our small house about two years ago from college dorms and apartments. We settled in, we decorated, we stored, we received gifts, we stored, we went shopping, we stored, etc. etc. etc. Now, after two years of living in our cluttered and chaotic home, we are realizing the importance of simplicity in life. We are striving toward debt-free living, but a healthy life is more than finances alone. That’s why we have decided to complete our first ever 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge – and we want you to join us!

The 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge was created by Erin on A Welder’s Wife and she has graciously allowed me to share the challenge with you all for the month of April. I would love to have you all join for as much or as little of the challenge as you are willing!

30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge

This challenge is a great chance for us all to declutter our minds and our bodies. Erin did a great job of introducing why this challenge is so very important when she wrote her guest blog titled Declutter Your Life, Reach Your Debt Free Goal (Click HERE to read this post). Erin shared how minimizing your lifestyle can help you to save money and get out of debt quicker (isn’t that what we are all about anyway?).

Minimizing means simplifying your life to enjoy a higher quality of living. As a result of living a minimalist lifestyle, people feel more attuned to their emotions, they are more present in their everyday lives, they are happier, and their wallets are more full. As someone who has lived with clutter for most of her life, I’m ready to simplify. I’m pumped to see the results of this challenge! Are you?

What Do You DO During a 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge?

First of all, I’m sure you’re wondering what all the challenge entails, right? Well, here’s a day-by-day guide of what we will be doing! Mind you, we will be adding some fun twists on our Facebook groups and Newsletter – so make sure to join and sign up below!

Day 1: 5 items
Find 5 items you can toss or donate. I am going to keep a box for the entire challenge of donate items. If an item needs tossed, I will do so instantly.

Day 2: Countertops
Clear your counter tops of everything, wipe them clean, and add back only what is necessary. Everything else needs a new home, tossed, or donated.

Day 3: Meditate for 15 Minutes
I read the book 10% Happier by Dan Harris, and learned about the benefits of meditation. I am a skeptic, but I wanted to give it a try anyways. The instructions I have read for beginners include: concentrate on your breaths, focus on the in and out motion, and if you find yourself drifting, bring yourself back to your breath. I thought this would be great to try before bed, to help unwind from the day.

Day 4: Junk Drawer
We all have them, but why? It’s time to break up with the Junk Drawer for good! Find a place for everything by giving a new home to the item, tossing, or donating.

Day 5: Clothing
Time to cull your wardrobe! I am trying a capsule wardrobe for first time, and loving it! I started at the beginning of October, but I feel after some time there are pieces I don’t wear. It’s time to find these pieces a new home!

Day 6: Digital Cleanse
Turn off all electronic devices for one day. Take this time to enjoy the company of your family, time outdoors, reading a book, etc. I realize this is hard for a lot of people [myself included], but I am really excited for this day’s challenge!

Day 7: Accessories
Time to clean out jewelry, hand bags, belts, scarves, etc. Just leave the shoes for another day. I did this one about a month ago, and I should have gotten pictures of the before and after. It was amazing what I was able to let go of. That being said, I still feel like I have a few things I can part ways with.

Day 8: Shoes
Time to purge shoes! Another hard one for me. While I don’t have a lot of shoes, I still have more than I probably need. Until recently, I had my old cheerleading shoes from 2002! They are still in great condition, but they had ran their course. Now I just need to decided on everything else.

Day 9: Pamper Yourself
When was the last time you took time for yourself? Today is all about you! Enjoy a nice soaking bath, an all natural face mask, or maybe even go get a pedicure/manicure.

Day 10: 10 items
Find 10 items to donate or toss! I’m sure over the past few days there have been some things that have stuck out to you. Grab them up and give them a new home.

Day 11: Social Media
Social media is designed to help people connect through multiple platforms, but how many of these people only post negative posts, do you actually know that person, and why did you follow that person to begin with? If a person isn’t adding anything to your life, it is time to defriend them. Don’t worry, they won’t be notified. You should only follow or friend people who add something to your life or make you happy.

[Added bonus: Clear out and sort your emails. Unsubscribe from all promotional emails. You have much more important things in your life than to delete multiple promotional emails everyday. Even if you feel you can’t do without a certain store’s promotions, unsubscribe! Give it a try and see if you miss it. I didn’t! Plus, if you do miss it, you can always resubscribe.]

Day 12: Find a product to use up
Is there a lotion you have just a little left in, or a sauce that is about to expire? If so, take today and use it! Today you will gain some space!

Day 13: Pantry
Look through everything and check expiration dates. Throw out anything expired or you will not use.

Day 14: Pots & Pans
A hard day for anyone who cooks a lot. Be honest with what is your favorite to cook with and what pieces you neglect. A tip I have seen is to see if lids fit more than one pot/pan. If so, you can let go of a few lids, and free up some space.

Day 15: Wake Up 30 Minutes Earlier
Wish you had more time in your day? Waking up just 30 minutes earlier can help you achieve a more successful day. Use this time to finish up some cleaning, write in your journal, take your time getting ready, etc.

Day 16: Linens
The truth is you only need 2 sets of sheets per bed. Everything else is only taking up space. You could repurpose the extras into reusable paper towels, toss them depending on their condition, or donate them. Towels are the same. I’ve seen some minimalist only keep one towel per person; however, that will not be the case for my husband and I. To each their own, but be sure you find new homes for what doesn’t fit in these means.

Day 17: Cleaning Products
Do you hoard cleaning products like I do? It’s time to be honest with what products you use and what you are holding onto just because it’s a cleaning product.

Day 18: Journal for 15 Minutes
One thing I have always wanted to make a habit is writing in a journal. Take 15 minutes to write down whatever is on your mind. Who knows, we might all be surprised at the end of this exercise.

Day 19: Skin Care
All cosmetics have an expiration date. Most are 1-3 years. Purge the expired and then see what’s left. From here, purge anything you haven’t used in over a month. If there is anything else left to question, it goes. You will be left with what you use and works best for you. Who knows, you may even develop your skin care system.

Day 20: Make Up
Same rules apply as did on Day 19. In addition, if it isn’t your color, purge it.

Day 21: Go for a walk
Enjoy today by taking a walk outside.

Day 22: Medicine
Purging the expired medicine may rid you of more space than expected. Remember to dispose of medicine properly. If there is more left than expected, see if there is any medicine you have that doesn’t work for you and dispose of it.

Day 23: Mail/Paperwork
This is probably my least favorite day. I don’t have as much as some, but I have enough to make this task a pain. It is something that has to be done, however. Only keep papers needed to pay your current bills and papers needed for tax purposes. Everything else can be shredded.

Day 24: Guilty Pleasure
Probably my favorite day of this challenge. We’ve all been working hard and need to enjoy ourselves from time to time. Today, we have the opportunity to take an hour to enjoy a guilty pleasure. This can be anything from enjoying dessert before dinner, watching reality TV, etc. I will probably use my time to read a book I’ve had my eyes on for a little while.

Day 25: Crafts
We all have those projects we said we would do, and they are still waiting for us. Time to push the guilt aside and purge these crafts. Only keep things you plan to make within the next two months. Everything else can be tossed or donated.

Day 26: Keepsakes
If you have followed my posts, you know I have purged my keepsakes. However, I feel by the time I reach day 26, I will have a new found hope in finding more I can part with. Keepsakes are extremely hard to purge, because most people tie memories to items. It is important to remember the memory, but not attach it to things.

Day 27: Evaluate Priorities
Make a list of everything important to you at this time. Arrange each item from most important to least. We may find some adjustments are needed.

Day 28: Phone Apps
How many of us have applications on our phone we don’t use? Time to uninstall! One thing I have previously done is uninstall Facebook from my phone. I found I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook for hours, and only finding myself mad and aggravated when I decided to stop. Since uninstalling it, I probably get on Facebook once or twice a week to check my notifications for event information from friends and family that aren’t local. For the applications you cannot delete, group together so they don’t take up so much screen space. This will declutter your phone and declutter your mind when you use your phone.

Day 29: Contacts
Are you like my husband, who still has contacts from 10 years ago? Do you still talk to that person? Do they have the same number? If the answer is no or I’m not sure, it’s been long enough, and it’s time to delete it. A cleared contact list will save you time and distraction from thinking of the past. You are meant to live in the present, so let’s clean that contact list up a bit!

Day 30: Reflect on the Past 29 Days
Take time today to think of where you started and how far you have come. Do you have more space? Is your space less cluttered? Have you discovered things about yourself you didn’t know before this challenge? How did you enjoy the mindful exercises? Did you develop new habits?

As with any challenge, you will need a great support system to complete the 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge. We have two Facebook groups for just this purpose. Request to join one or both using the links below!

What inspires YOU to get rid of the clutter & take the 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge?

Leave your responses in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. While I do earn money and bonuses for referring people, all of my opinions on the company are 100% honest and my own. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.

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Using Minimalism to Grow Your Money

Today our guest poster will be Uzy from the blog Coming Om. Uzy is telling us all about using minimalism to grow our money. As some of you may remember, we are going to be doing a 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge and we are SUPER excited about it. If you want to join, or read this and decide you want some more information, check out our intro post by clicking HERE! Until then, enjoy the post by Uzy! 🙂

The benefits of a minimalist practice can be seen and felt in every area of our lives, particularly in how we manage our money. In fact, when done correctly, a minimalist money plan will result in more of your money and not less. Here are five steps that you can take to incorporate minimalist thinking into your daily financial decisions.

Commit to a ‘less is more’ life

In order to effectively apply minimalism to your financial decisions, you’ll first need to understand and embrace the concept. Living a minimalist lifestyle means committing to the idea that you only need those things that add value to your life, and everything else can fall to the wayside. It’s about prioritizing and getting the most out of the stuff that really matters.

It also means releasing any emotional attachments that you have to material possessions, and understanding that these possessions are there to serve a function and not to be a determinant of your worth. That means that you’ll no longer have the desire to accumulate more. When you desire less, you’ll spend less – which has a direct impact on your money. Once you fully embrace a minimalist lifestyle, you won’t need to do anything more to begin to see your money grow.

In addition to acquiring less, you’ll also feel a need to give what you currently have away. This will have a direct impact on your money, because the stuff you get rid of can bring in extra money into your household, whether through reselling them or gaining a tax benefit from donating them.

Have your goals in mind

Better yet, put them on paper. As you think about your money and how you want to use it, ask yourself what it’s all for. Where do you see yourself and your family in the next 6 months? 1 year? 5 years? More importantly, what will it take to get you there?

Your goal could be anything from a family trip that you’ve had on your mind for some time, or a new home, or an education fund for your children. Whatever it is, get clear on it. Once you’ve set one or more financial goals, write them down in plain sight so that they serve as a daily reminder of what is truly important to you. Remember that money is not the object, but a tool to get what you need.

Be honest with yourself

What do you really want and need? For many of us, what we spend our money on often isn’t what we actually want and need. Instead of resorting to purchasing more stuff, take a moment to understand the reasons underlying the purchase. Is it happiness? Acceptance? Self-worth? Tune into the present and use it as an opportunity to figure out what you’re truly hungry for – and then work on getting it.

Create boundaries in order to feel freedom

A large part of practicing a minimalist lifestyle is understanding that there is a limit to what we should have. When it comes to our money, a budget is where we exercise those limits and is actually the source to freedom from debt.

It also helps to keep us within our means, and gives us the ability to appreciate and enjoy what we already have. One place to exercise these limits is in your closet. The growing popularity of capsule wardrobes, for example, is for good reason. Stick to a set number of pieces each season and commit to not adding anything more to it. You’ll immediately see an impact on your financial life.

Put your knowledge to work

Here is where you get to put your minimalist practice to work. First, take a full inventory of everything that you spend money on in a given month. Then, decide what is unessential to your life, in that it doesn’t add function or happiness to your life. Next, decide where you can cut back in your life, in order to reduce your financial expenses. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What am I paying every month for that I don’t use? Look at your monthly subscriptions that are auto-renewing without you knowing.

Where can I cut back and still get everything that I need? For me, this meant changing my bank to one that fewer features but zero fees.

Where can I take advantage of less expensive alternatives? This could mean cutting cable and moving to online streaming, like Netflix, instead.

About the Author

Uzy Igweatu is the author of Coming Om, where she writes about her journey toward a more intentional life. You can find her at comingom.com

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. While I do earn money through Fronto, Ibotta, and other companies, and bonuses for referring people, all of my opinions on the company are 100% honest and my own. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here

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Ready or Not, Here Comes Spring!

There’s something about spring in the air. Waking up to the sun, the birds, and the scent of spring encompassing the world around you. It’s time to begin spring cleaning and the universe knows it. It’s funny: my wife and I were talking the other day about how it’s not really spring until the robins come…

Then, yesterday, as I made the trek home from work through the forest, I came upon a field of robins. No, I don’t mean that I saw a robin in a field. I also don’t mean to say that I saw a few robins. There were at least 50-60 on the ground and another bunch in the trees above. Go figure, right?

There they were, hopping around in the green grass, the muddy snow, and the wet, exposed earth. I felt the true life of spring surrounding me. It was stunning, to see the least, but it also brought with it a lively notion of life, light, and… well… cleaning.

What do I mean? I’ll explain..

With spring there comes a sense of urgency – at least where I work. The feeling of spring means the coming of summer, and when summer arrives, twenty-five staff members and five hundred campers will be excitedly awaiting for our doors to open and that means we need to prepare now.

Yes, there’s more to the urgency than the quickly approaching summer. The urgency is spiritual, emotional, and physical. We feel the need to be clean.

I’m sure you all have experienced the chaos that is spring cleaning. The rush of energy that you feel when the warm breeze blows across your arms – finally exposed to the air after months of hibernation (okay, maybe that’s only a Midwest thing). You wrestle those bags of items out to the car to bring to Goodwill, spend hours boxing up your winter gear, sorting through your clothes, and then another few days sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and probably driving your family crazy as you try and rid your house of the winter muck.

And then, when all is said and done, you finally have a chance to do your laundry and prepare for the coming season of warmth and joy. Your clothes have been covered in dust and dirt, you’ve sweated through your final clean t-shirt, and the summer wear you’ve pulled out smells musty and old after months of storage.

Is there anything better than hanging clothes to dry? The scent of spring wafting in on the linen, the feel of the air as you hang the clothes along the line, the accomplishment you feel when you are able to bring them in, clean and dry, and fold them tidily into the appropriate places.

Want to join us in a challenge this year for spring cleaning?

We are hosting our first ever 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge.

Declutter Your Life, Reach Your Debt Free Goal

Clutter. It’s something that we all dislike and yet, something most of us have. But what if there were a challenge to help us determine how to declutter our lives and reach our goals? Today, we have an amazing guest blogger named Erin who blogs over at A Welder’s Wife. She’s here to show you our next challenge: The 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge (30DMDC).

Quick details before we give you the real info: Challenge starts April 1st, we’ll support you along the way, join in the email box below!

Declutter Your Life, Reach Your Debt Free Goals

Are you tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Tired of all the clutter that surrounds you? What about all the clutter in your mind? Any one of these can be draining not only to your health, but to others close to you as well. It isn’t healthy to always worry about money, the clutter surrounding you, or the clutter in your mind!

I know. I’ve been there! However, it doesn’t have to be this way! Can you imagine having all the money you could dream of, because you aren’t living paycheck to paycheck anymore? Can you see what your home would look like without all of the clutter? How would you feel if your mind was decluttered? I bet life would be easier to enjoy, smiles would occur more often, and you would actually achieve your dreams!

Sounds great doesn’t it?! The best part is all of it is obtainable, and I have something to guide you in that direction. My 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge is an eye opening experience to what it is like to live without the clutter, and it will help you pay down your debt guaranteed! This is a full 360° challenge that will help you declutter your home and mind.

My background with clutter…

I grew up in a household that didn’t believe in letting go of things. Clutter was inevitable. This thought process continued as I grew into an adult. I kept so many things that didn’t mean anything, but I was too afraid to let go of them. Along with clutter, I accumulated some debt, and started living paycheck to paycheck. As a result, stress and anxiety consumed me.

I couldn’t think straight because of all the clutter!

When we decided to purchase land for our future house building plans, I knew something had to change quickly! I was able to find a book by Ruth Soukup that introduced me to my minimalist lifestyle. It is called Living Well Spending Less. I highly recommend this book! It showed me how living with less, and not spending so much could improve my life dramatically. I started slowly decluttering, and felt the relief of letting go of things.

As soon as I started, we put the house on the market, so I had to put myself into hyper-speed! I was able to take car load after car load to my local Goodwill and homeless shelter. [I didn’t have time for a garage sale, or I would have opted for that option. But donating is a great thing, and I had time for that!] I was feeling great! House was on the market, I had time to enjoy our home being staged and clutter free, and then it sold within 72 hours of having it on the market….

Most people would be stoked, but I couldn’t help thinking about everything I would have to pack up and move.. Suddenly, I felt all the work I had accomplished wasn’t near enough! Instead of shipping it all off to donate, I decided to pack it up and have a garage sale in the Spring [at this time it was almost Winter.]

Since the move, I have gone through everything we had in storage and have been able to let go of 80% of what we had! What an accomplishment right?! While I was happy with the progress, I felt like it wasn’t enough. I still felt cluttered. We downsized by more than half of what we were used to living in, so it wasn’t hard to feel cluttered. However, I knew I could do something to change it!

That’s when I came up with the idea of 30 Day Minimalist Decluttering Challenge. I wanted to take my minimalist journey to the next level, and I did! I have finally eliminated the clutter from my home and mind! As an added bonus, I am going to make some money to use towards my debt!

Now, I go for walks in the evenings after work and wake up an hour earlier to wake up with my husband. This challenge has finally freed me of so many things that held me back, and it can help you, too!

What’s different about this challenge versus any other decluttering challenge?

What sets this challenge apart is its dual perspective. Focusing only on decluttering your home is great, but it doesn’t help the clutter in your mind, which is probably why you started decluttering in the first place. Focusing only on mental declutter may help for a few days, but if you aren’t decluttering the space around you, the mental clutter will inevitably return.

By focusing on both together, you are combating the mental clutter and decluttering the home in unison.

This will allow your mind to relax, refresh, and rejoice! Your space will be more tidy and freeing. You will also be able to fully grasp the concept of what matters to you most.

I wholeheartedly believe that if you give this challenge a try, you won’t be disappointed! I was able to eliminate 139 items from my possession during this challenge. [If I had a lot of papers, or a lot of the same item, I would count that as one item. The number would have been closer to 500 if I would have counted each individual piece!] This was after I had decluttered my possessions one month prior to this challenge!

How does decluttering intertwine with becoming debt free?

Decluttering is not only a tool to create space within your home; it’s a tool to help finances as well. Anything going out the door can be sold. You can host a garage sale, take things to a consignment shop, sell it online, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Most minimalists will suggest donating these items, because it is usually quicker to leave the home, without the chance of second guessing your decision. It also allows you to say goodbye to the item only once. While I think this is great, you and I do have a goal of becoming debt free. Therefore, decluttering is now one tool to help this goal.

Another way decluttering becomes a tool is helping you become conscious of what comes into the house. Over time, you will notice how you aren’t buying as much, because it may not be worth adding to your possessions or creating clutter. When you become conscious of the efforts you have made decluttering, you will become conscious of purchasing decisions. The money you save can be used towards your debt.

So you see they really do go hand in hand! Now that you have this information, will you be brave enough to take on this 30 day challenge and see how it can change your life?!

3. Imagine what your space looks like clutter free BEFORE you start to declutter.

[You can search for inspiration on Pinterest or Google.]

4. Create a plan for each exercise each day.

[It ensures success for each day!]

5. Be sure to use #30DMDC if you decide to share any pictures on social media so we can connect!
6. Lastly, HAVE FUN!!

Declutter Your Life, Reach Your Debt Free Goals

Let’s thank Erin, once again, for giving us such an amazing post and challenge to follow! We’ll be starting the challenge on APRIL FIRST so be sure to sign up via the email box above BEFORE that date (and join our Facebook group at any time)! Let’s declutter our lives and reach our debt free goals!

How can decluttering help you to live a better, happier, healthier life?

Let us know in the comments BELOW! 🙂

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. While I do earn money through Fronto, Ibotta, and other companies, and bonuses for referring people, all of my opinions on the company are 100% honest and my own. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.

Love the blog? Help us out by sharing it with your friends and family!

It wasn’t a pretty sight. My wife and I, together with student loans, car debt, and credit card debt, owed a grand total of $192,453.40

I won’t spend a long time going into detail about how this changed our world and freakin’ terrified us. Or about how I spent hours looking at debt calculators to find out how long it would take to pay it off (answer: you can’t). Or about how I wish I could have started out with nothing rather than $192,453.40 less than nothing. But you can read all about that here if you wish (click here).

Anyway, we made the decision to become debt free and live a simpler, happier life and since then we have taken many steps to make this decision / goal a reality. I’m sure that I will be going over many of these steps as we keep moving forward with DIY Jahn, but the one that I want to focus on today is de-cluttering our house – and how life-changing it can truly be.

How cleaning our house helped us to pay off our debt…

First of all, we had to make a plan. Our plan of attack began by looking at our indoor storage area. We went through each and every bin – one item at a time – and decided if each of these items sparked joy in us (it works!). Why did we do it this way? Because I read a fantastic book that changed my life and changed the way I look at cleaning forever. You can read about it and check it out here:

We stopped keeping things just because we felt obligated. Little trinkets and gifts that had been given to us – we gave them away. The way we looked at it: It had served its purpose. The gift had sparked joy in us when it had been given to us, but now it was kept merely because we felt obligated to keep it. But let me ask you this, do you really think that we were truly enjoying those gifts in boxes stored away in a room in our house? Not really.

So what we did was simple: we took a picture of the item (so that we could remember it later if we wanted to) and then we gave it away so that somebody else could be sparked with the joy of it.

It’s not to say that we gave away all of the gifts we have ever been given, but ones that were years upon years old that we have not used in a long time: it was time for them to be given to someone else who will enjoy them too. And we will always have the memories of them.

The hardest part was the memorabilia section of our storage units – boxes of papers, letters, photos, crafts, cards, etc. We decided to save this until later and still have not decided how we want to minimize the storage on these items without giving up things that we have a deep-seated emotional connection to. I’m sure we’ll get there. One step at a time.

After the storage area was clean, we began cleaning rooms one at a time – different storage shelves that had gotten cramped. My philosophy as we went was as follows: if we need to buy items to store what we own in, we probably own too many things. Our goal was to buy nothing, but get rid of as much as we possibly could.

We got rid of boxes upon boxes and bags stacked atop bags of clothes that we either didn’t wear any more or wore, but didn’t enjoy. Any small hole, stain, or worn down item was thrown into the give away pile because nobody wears all of the clothes they own. We got rid of 2/3rds of the clothing items that we had and we probably could get rid of more still, but that is still to come!

As we finished more and more shelves becoming clear, more space becoming available, and more light entering our clean home, we realized something. This experience was more rewarding than it seems on the surface. It was more than clearing up space for more junk. It was more than a simple cleaning.

It was life-changing.

We took all of the old stuff away and found ourselves in a large house that was…. simple. We felt relieved at how simple the house felt. How a room could be comforting and calm and not need anything in it. We also noticed how happy we felt when we could look around and notice that every single item in the room was kept because it sparked joy in us.

We also noticed that we had to spend less money because our house wasn’t as cluttered. How? You might ask. Simple.

We found coins and dollars that had been tucked away that we didn’t know we had. All of these we put toward debt or our coin jar.

We sold items that we didn’t need – especially larger furniture items. We would have had a yard sale as well (we had plenty of stuff for 3 or 4 yard sales, even), but we live at a camp so we couldn’t have. However, we probably would have made a few hundred dollars if we had had the chance to have a yard sale.

We decided to de-clutter our kitchen cabinets which meant eating more of the food we already had.

We felt happier about our simple life and didn’t want to buy more things to re-clutter it so we stopped spending as much.

It was easier to cook, so we spent less on going out to eat.

Things were packed away better so that Sofi, our puppy, couldn’t get into them – which saved us having to replace items that she ate.

Most importantly, we were happier. And even if we have debt and are suffocated by it and feel like we can’t go anywhere, at least when we enter our home – filled with air, space, light – we can be comfortable and happy. Content, if you will.

And that’s good enough for now.

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. Also, please note that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.

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I know that I personally struggle with filling up my life with items I do not need. Of course, I make myself think that I do need them which is why they stick around for so long. I get caught up in daily life, work, the autonomy of it all and forget to start going through what I need to go through. Suddenly, my house is a mess and I have no idea how it happened.

The thing is, is that it’s not just the clutter and inability to set something down or walk from one room to the other easily that brings about the need to clean. Having a messy house is emotionally draining. It makes me anxious, tired, frustrated…

And the biggest problem there is that when I am anxious and frustrated and emotionally drained, I no longer can get motivated to get my house clean. And it carries over into my work and I have trouble focusing and getting things done. Thus the importance of keeping a clean house…

So, what better way to get de-cluttered than to sell some of this stuff that I no longer need and make a few extra dollars doing so? A great thing about living in the age we do now is that we have awesome creations like Facebook and Craigslist. My town, sadly, isn’t anywhere near a Craigslist location, but because of that we have three or four “For Sale” sites for our area. Country for sale, town for sale, County for swap, etc. It’s great!

Snap a pic with your phone, post it online with a price and description, wait for responses. It takes roughly 3 minutes, it’s like nothing. And it’s worth it.

It’s so freeing to get rid of the clutter and walk into a simpler, more quiet home.

Disclaimer: Some of DIY Jahn posts contain affiliate links. Also, please not that recipes, fitness tips, and financial tips are not given by a professional. To understand what this all means for you, click here.